Res 0448-2014

By Council Members Crowley, Espinal, Chin, Cumbo, Johnson, Mendez and Rosenthal Whereas, It is well documented that women's health care providers face significant cost barriers, particularly in the obstetrics and gynecological fields; and Whereas, Obstetricians and gynecologists (OB-GYNs) in New York City spend anywhere from $140,043 to $183,247 on medical malpractice insurance alone, according to an analysis by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield; and Whereas, Conversely, the insurance reimbursement rates for performing deliveries is low; a survey of New York members of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists revealed that 41 percent of OB-GYNs surveyed received between $1,500 and $2,500 for a delivery and 11 percent reported receiving less than $1,500 per delivery, significantly less than the actual cost of a delivery; and Whereas, Aside from this cost, New York City practitioners also face high administrative and overhead costs; and Whereas, Such high costs may contribute to a shortage of women's health care providers, which in turn reduces access to care and patient choice; and Whereas, Patient access problems are especially prevalent in health professional shortage areas (HPSAs); and Whereas, HPSAs are designations made by the United States Health Resources and Services Administration on the basis of geographic area, a low population-to-practitioner ratio and inaccessible resources in contiguous areas; and Whereas, In New York State, there are currently 179 primary care HPSAs and nearly 2.5 million underserved residents; and Whereas, Sixty-eight of these primary care HPSAs are located within New York City's five boroughs; and Whereas, Government can act to ease the burden on women's health care providers by authorizing tax credits which these practitioners can use to defray some of their operating costs; and Whereas, Offering tax credits and incentivizing the provision of care in established high needs areas will directly result in higher quality of care, while ensuring that access is expanded; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State Legislature to pass and the Governor to sign legislation that would create tax credits for women's health care providers. CP Res 1367/2012 LS 198/2014